Is today's baseball harder than the 60s, 70s, 80s,and 90s?

Question

this is a question that had been in mind for years. Will Babe Ruth set those records, will current baseball hall of famers survive in today's baseball. Are today's baseball players better than the past generations baseball players??

Answer 1

Todays baseball is much easier then years ago.

1) Stadiums are alot smaller today then they used to be. Most of the home runs hit in last 30 years would have been caught years ago.

2) Balls are harder today making it easier to hit the ball a longer distance.

3) Pitching is very water down today for several reasons:
A) There are alot more pitchers today then years ago, so many of todays pitchers would have never made the major leagues years ago.
B) Unlike what people keep saying, pitchers do not throw as hard as they once did because their arms are not as strong. Today pitchers are babied too much from a young age and by doing so never built their arm strength and endorance like older pitchers, even as recently as 30 years ago.
C) Strike zone is smaller today making it easier for a batter to hit the ball.

4) Bats are lighter today making it easier fot a batter to swing and hit the ball,because he can swing the bat faster. The lighter bat also makes it easier today to hit the ball to oposite field because he has a split second longer to react to hit the ball.

5) Today's gloves are not only larger but more padded making it easier to catch a ball.

6) Years ago, errors were given more frequently because you would get an error for not only making an error, but also if you should have caught the ball even if you didn't touch it you were given an error.

7) If you really want to go back in time, if you were walked, that used to count against you for your batting average. Example: Today you make 10 plate appearances you get 3 hits 9 outs one walk you are credited for 9 at bats (the walk doesnt count as an at bat) so your batting average is .333. Years ago because the walk counted as an at bat your batting average would be .300.

The list goes on and on, yes today's baseball players are stronger, but strentgh doesnt translate into baseball skill. So to answer your question, yes all the great players from 50+ years ago not only would their records stand today everyone of them would have surpassed their own records, playing under today's conditions. If Babe Ruth played today, he would be hitting over a 100 home runs a year.

I'm answering this question for my nephew, since I'm alot older then he is, I've been watching baseball since the early 1930's, and ine the last 40 years there have maybe been only 100 players that would have even made the major leagues 50 or more years ago. I'll give you a good example, I watched both Phil Rizzutto and Derek Jeter play short stop first hand their entire careers, Jeter is a much better hitter, but Rizzutto was a much better short stop, Joe Dimaggio was by far the best outfielder, that ever played the game, there will never be an outfielder thats will even come close to how good he was, he caught every ball waist high, and that's when Yankee Stadium was alot bigger.

Any baseball historian will agree with me.

Answer 2

When I was a kid, the players weren't as strong because weightlifting and baseball didn't mix. However, they started doing it later when stretching became a way of not being so stiff from lifting weights.

Steroids aside, I think the players in the past were much tougher. Come on...nowadays if a pitcher throws 200 innings in a season, it's a big deal Go back a few decades and you'll see that many pitchers threw complete games...on three days of rest! It wasn't unheard of for a pitcher to have 20-30 complete games in a season. Now guys throw 6-7 innings on 4 days of rest and it's a big deal. Right.

You had your starting pitchers and, not really until the 60s and 70s, a premier closer. There were no middle-relief specialists. If you came in during the 6th or 7th inning, it was because your starting pitcher got shellacked or hurt. They were mop-up men; not good enough to start, not good enough to close.

Take into account also that when a team travels, they can go coast-to-coast in maybe 5 hours. Go back to Ruth's era and it probably took them all day (maybe a few hours more than 24?) to go from New York to St. Louis on a train. They played more doubleheaders too.

Answer 3

Yes. The pitchers are more talented, I believe. And there are now players from all over the world in baseball. Not to mention the fielding gloves are much better, stuff like that.

Answer 4

As with all of the major sports, the players have generally gotten bigger, faster and stronger. I'm not sure if that makes it a harder game, because it's tough to compare across generations.

Answer 5

of course today's players are better trained, bigger generally, and more fit than past decade players, but ruth would be great in any era. he hit more home runs than entire TEAMS in some seasons. the general game is still the same throughout the decades.

Answer 6

It is so much easier with Steroids..........

Back in the 60s 70s 80s they were all natural.

It's so much easier when you cheat, just ask Barry Bonds!

Answer 7

I think so. The pitchers are stronger, the fielders are stronger and faster, the hitters are stronger. It's a different game.

Answer 8

yeah if you are not taking steroids like 99% of the players this day. otherwise its the same just much much bigger dudes.

Answer 9

I wouldn't say that it is harder than it was before. I would say that it is different. You have to judge each era by it's context .

Answer 10

Yes athletes are bigger faster and stronger now.